Renewables Growing Share Of UK Energy

The UK is making progress in its move towards using cleaner energy, with the latest figures published by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) showing that use of wind, solar and hydro energy increased by 18.4 per cent between the third quarter of 2015 and the same period in 2016.

In the third quarter of last year, fossil fuel dependency fell to record low levels in the UK, at 78.7 per cent.

What’s more, the data showed that energy consumption fell across almost every sector, with domestic energy consumption displaying an 11.9 per cent drop compared to the previous year, largely due to the warmer weather the UK experienced in 2016.

Earlier this month, the government also announced a further £28 million in funding to support energy innovation projects, designed to help the country continue its move towards being a low-carbon economy, and to reduce costs for businesses and homes.

Minister of state for climate change and industry Nick Hurd explained the money would go into smart systems, offshore wind and industrial energy reduction.

“Innovation in energy will play an important role to shape our low-carbon future to rebuild an outdated energy system,” he stated.

The government also intends to spend £9 million funding a competition to help find new ways of boosting energy efficiency within UK industry. Part of this will involve developing industry-specific products and options to deliver a low-carbon economy.